Cattle Driving Necromancers-Bizarre Campaign Journal

[Kaveman26]

Props for being a good DM about this stuff, I know that many people would freeze up and start saying "no you can't do that!" as soon as their plans started falling apart.

Yeah...I have learned that you can't take things personally. It's all a game and at the end of the day it's about enjoying one's self. At one point I was shaking my head and sighing as they sent wave after wave against the merchant envoy and I said " You guys really know how to beat a dead horse"...the response I got was " Yep...and we will make it get back up and pull a wagon with the rest of it's dead body inside too"

Session Five: Interlude

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The phase between dungeon crawling doesn’t involve a great deal of eventful material. For the most part the U.C. behave themselves and avoid any capital punishment eligible activity. Inadvertently they have become local celebrities, and a great deal of interest is steered their way in the form of those who want information about the interior. They are happy to oblige in exchange for alchemy materials and well cared for livestock.

Character Developments:

Seraphim advances to level 6 in Gravewalker, which grants her animate dead and a new hex. She selects Misfortune as a new Hex (basically forces a target to make two rolls and keep the worse roll). She also functions as group brewmaster restocking and preparing potions for party use. By the time the group is ready to re-enter the dungeon she has all 24 slots of her animate dead filled with six ogres each outfitted in chain shirts and longspears. Her bonethrall is T-Bones (also fully armored and equipped), and her command undead is Snowflake…her unicorn mount.

As a brief side note. The ogres came from a raiding party of ogres and orcs that staged an attack to a road leading to the central camp. The Necro-Ranchers were happy to assist of “disposing” of the bodies without the added labor of a burial, or smell of a bonfire. They even haggled for some “camp credit” due to their public service. None was provided, but they tried.

Chomper continues down the ranger path (HorseLord/Trapsmith) and takes Mounted Archery as new feat. He spends most of his downtime crafting traps that can be set up in a pinch.

Hades/Pluto both kee on trucking with Undead Lord…they restock their own supplies of undead and provide assistance in crafting potions.

Skalagrim takes a second level in mounted Fury (Mounted Fury2/Cavalier4) and replaces his lost Heavy War Horse. Most of his downtime is devoted to working with his anklo and his horse to lockdown training.

Dis Pater keeps on with Knight of the Sepulcher.

Side Notes:

*Micko secretly meets with his boss and soon after returns with commitments of being able to open the gateway currently sealed in the minotaur’s domain.
*They pretty much empty the camp of all livestock and arrange a sizeable herd of horses and oxen(using bison for stats on the oxen)

The Big Stuff:

As arrangements are being completed and the 30 day mark approaches Seraphim goes to file the requisite paperwork at the camp’s central command only to be told that several revisions have been made to the protocols for entering the structure.

A party may not exceed six members each of which is permitted a single mount. A restring of replacement mounts is allowed but nothing further. Basically she is told this is to prevent any large scale chaos or massacres of overeager groups. To her it looks an awful lot like discrimination…but she politely requests for multiple copies of the new guidelines and smiles saying that she will return shortly.

Very soon thereafter Seraphim returns to the central command office with ten duplicate registrations. In essence they have filed ten separate party registrations with the six group members heading six parties, Reggie, Micko, T-Bones and Rusk head the remaining four. All their various undead and livestock are dispersed as mounts and re-mounts to be split between them all.

Once again my attempt to create a bit of an obstacle is rapidly avoided. The camp’s general blusters his way through a stammering explanation of why it may take several months before they are allowed entry but virtually no one has registered to enter based on waiting to see what happens when the gates open again. They accept a bold faced bribe and dissolve the updated registration standards. The ten parties are once again merged as one.

The day before gate opening…word is dispatched to the U.C. that they have been granted a full thirty minutes for entrance, as only one other group has decided to enter.

What Comes Out:
Nothing.
No single person emerges from the exit

What Goes In:
The Full Group of PC’s, T-Bones, Rusk, Reggie, Micko
20 live horses
20 live bison
Seraphim Undead:
Command Undead: Snowflake (skeletal unicorn)
Bonethrall: T-Bones (psionic minotaur skeleton)
Animate Dead: 6 ogres with full tack and equipment
Hades Undead:
Corpse Companion: Skeletal Minotaur (full gear)
Command Undead: 2 Bison
Animate Dead: 12 Horses
Pluto Undead:
Corpse Companion: Skeletal Minotaur (full gear)
Command Undead: 2 bison
Animate Dead: 12 Horses

Live Creatures:
Chomper’s Spinosaur
Skalagrim’s anklosaur, and heavy war horse.

As Skalagrim drives the last of the livestock inside a second column of entrants begins forming up at the gate. The hobogoblin watches with fascination as an armored phalanx of strange dwarves forms ranks. Nearly 50 heavily armored and regimented dwarves follow them inside with a string of mules and small wagons. Their leader is the biggest dwarf any of them has ever seen, nearly five and a half feet tall. He is extraordinarily good natured and festive greeting the Undead Cowboys with a hearty laugh and something approaching a bear hug. He calls himself Russ.

Russ: Tis good to be back underground. Don’t mind my boys and me, we will be out of your way soon enough.
The arrival of an armored dwarf legion gives them cause for alarm and they begin the next leg of their journey with great trepidation.

[ImperatorV]

How to counter necromancers with a big army? Send in Dwarves with just as big an army.

Seriously though this party is great and the way you and your players play off of each other is hilarious.

[Leon]

How to counter necromancers with a big army? Send in Dwarves with just as big an army.

Seriously though this party is great and the way you and your players play off of each other is hilarious.

How to counter Necromancers with a Big army is to not send in another large living force

[Honest Tiefling]

How to counter Necromancers with a Big army is to not send in another large living force

But then it wouldn't be any fun. And better dwarves then psionic minotaurs.

[Bad Wolf]

This is a shining example of what evil characters should act like. I wish I was part of that group...though I'd have to learn pathfinder first.

[oshi]

Hey Kaveman, just finished reading all of the stuff you've got in your signature over the last few weeks.
I wanted to thank you for what I imagine is an enormous amount of time and effort spent on your work, it's all been very cool and quite well written.

[Bob of Mage]

Wonderful read! This is a clear example of why magic is so broken by nature.

[Demon 997]

Just wanted to say how much I've been enjoying these. I'll need to go back through them as well.

[Togath]

I might as well comment as well~
It's a really interesting campaign so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing more.
I'm also finding it fun to see undead getting used, always irks me how rarely pcs use them(I know there's usually the whole "evil" thing attached in most settings, but even in evil games they seem uncommonly used by players).

[Kaveman26]

Session Five Part 1: Delegation

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The entrance is now completely abandoned and bereft of a merchantile presence. The dwarves cordially ask if the U.C. plan on utilizing any of the interior rooms. They inform the dwarf army that they intend to push forward deeper and that they are welcome to the entrance. Their column of undead and npc’s form up down the hall and watch as the dwarves begin assembling transportable fortifications at the entrance. From their observations it looks like the dwarves have assembled a hybrid tower-shield/ballista contraption. Segmented and joinable shield walls interlock, and open to allow siege weapons clear line of sight to fire. The whole assembly is mounted on wheels, and fortified with braces that clamp into the floors and walls to prevent rolling.

A separate company of dwarves seems to appear from the small wagons and they immediately start fabrication on replacing any and all doors with ones of their own design.

Skalagrim: This is the strangest dungeon party ever…that includes us.

Seraphim: I’m pretty sure they aren’t an adventuring party, I think they are colonists. They are going to take over this section and slowly push their way out. With those customizable rolling siege units they will be able to move at a slow even pace and literally take control of a given hallway, sealing off the doors and securing each section.

Hades: I don’t like the idea of sending a stampede straight into the teeth of those ballista, nor do I relish skeleton’s advancing against dwarven hammers. The damage reduction bonus they received against slashing/piercing is thrown out the window against warhammers.

The party breaks down into a wide spread back and forth over potential concerns this invading “colony” might present. They actually debate going full bore offensive before they have time to dig in. Skalagrim and Seraphim are on board with attacking immediately. Dis Pater is neutral and the twins are for waiting. Chomper is looked at as the deciding vote and he by happenstance is the most quiet during the majority of discussions. While they bantered about tactics he was poring over maps and notes from previous sessions.

Chomper: They can fortify all they want. We don’t need to lift a finger or lose a skeleton. Let’s say we take them at face value and they are not concerned with us whatsoever. They legitimately want to just take control and secure the dungeon. Fine, let them. We are more concerned with getting deeper in not swatting the flies looking to leave. If they are a threat and they want to come after us…let them. We are certainly going to be more mobile, they have some spell support but no one that jumped out as being a game breaker. Let them inch forward and chase us deeper in. We can draw them back to Moo-Dor and see if Dion and his own boys like dwarf meat. Even if they are strapped and nasty we got sheer advantage in numbers. Also…good chance they run into the street sweeper floating severed head. All the tower shields in the world aint going to matter against that thing. Let’s head for Moo-Dor and if they follow we go nova, if not let them screw around in this area, we already mostly cleared it anyway.

Everyone provides a thumbs up to Chomper’s plan and they start trekking off towards the minotaur controlled compound. They manage to reach Dion’s stronghold and give him a primer on the dwarf forces.

Micko successfully opens the gateway previously sealed off with the aid of a small parasitic creature that seems to be attached to his chest. Whatever it is, it clearly seems to be connected directly into his body.

The gateway opens and reveals a stairwell that seems to disappear into darkness. No light from torch, nor spell lights the path. Dispel Magic is equally useless.

Chomper: Before anyone asks…no I am not going first.
Reggie: Count me out…you can feed me to the witch first.
Skalagrim: My dinosaur has psionics now…and I just got a horse back, so I’m not sending mine.
Seraphim: Someone has to go first.
Dis Pater: Can send a skeleton.
Pluto: That only tells us if something is a threat. They don’t excactly talk.

Everyone is reduced to head scratching and character sheet searching looking for options. Skalagrim finally comes up with a solution.

Skalagrim: Don’t we still have the hourglass filled with salt? Can’t we get a mephit for an hour a day from it?
Chomper: Yeah…the thing that popped out and killed the weasel.
Skalagrim: They are expendable…we can get a new one after a day and they provide feedback. I call that a win win.

The U.C. all form up as a new salt mephit issues forth to the Material Plane.

The little dude is dressed head to toe in rich silk and velvet, an enormous hat with a billowing feather trails off nearly the length of his body. A rapier hangs at his hip. With a flourish and badly voiced Scottish accent he identifies himself as Juan Saltez Ramirez.

Ramirez: At your service.

Skalagrim: Right…we need you to go down the stairs and poke around at as much stuff as possible while yelling back what you see, hear etc. If someone tries to kill you let us know what it is.

Ramirez: You expect me to scamper off down some filthy stinking hole like some kind of half cocked miner’s parakeet? I am an esteemed poet and warrior. So sod off and do it your damn self.

Skalagrim: Aren’t you supposed to follow instructions for one hour? Are you refusing?

Ramirez: I will provide service for an hour, but I’m not going to listen to any bloody stupid nonsense about waltzing into the unknown while trying to trigger traps. Nor will I cheerfully tell you what color fur the animal that tries to disembowel me had on it’s back!.

Seraphim: Truly you are wise and dashing.

The witch lays on some thick charm schmoozing the mephit and he is FAR happier with her persuasion than Skalagrim’s.

Seraphim: You are a most skilled swordsman yes? Then all by means take point and tell us what dangers to expect…that is unless you dispatch them with the tip of your sword first.

With that encouragement Ramirez cheerfully sallies forth into the unkown, rapier in hand and a song on his lips.

Ramirez: The darkness gives way after a few paces. The stairs lead into an open room with a high ceiling, nothing too distinctive as far as landmarks go. Wait…I see movement. Something large and fast. It’s hard to pick out from the shadow…there is light but bloody little. Oh hell…it’s coming for me and my sword won’t pierce it’s hide…its…*gurgle gurgle*

A blood curdling scream echoes up the stairs…
Ramirez: The tentacles tore off my legs….
There is a crunching noise then silence. *

Skalagrim: Well it’s a good thing we sent the mephit.

Chomper: There is definitely something large…fast…and with tentacles.

Seraphim: At least one…maybe more. Whatever it is ate Ramirez before we could find out.

Hades/Pluto: I say we drive a few skeletal horses in…have them split off and go opposite directions. If only one draws attention then we assume it’s one creature. If multiple draw attention we assume it’s more than one. We send a second wave to draw it/them off the entrance then go down in formation and attack head on.

Dis Pater forms up at the head of their attack column…Seraphim and the twins fill in the center with Chomper and Skalagrim forming the rear. The twins use their clerical domain ability to let Sera and Chomper gain from negative channeling. Their undead decoys number four and all four are torn to shreds and dusted in one round. From that they are figuring on multiple creatures and being in a position of panic they form all their remaining undead around themselves like a bone circle of protection. The second decoy wave is sent in and they follow on the heels of the soon to be sacrificed horses.

They charge/canter into the next level of the dungeon and watch shadowy tentacles rise from beneath the floor to grab their skeletons and crush their mercilessly. **

Dis Pater: It’s a giant squid!
Seraphim: It is swimming through the mother freaking ground…!

A volley of attacks and spells launch into the squid and half the attacks pass right through the creature without effect. Dis Pater ends up eating a pair of tentacles and gets constricted. Their skeletons are getting pummeled by the multiple arms each round and in all honesty the squid nearly ends the campaign right here. The twins begin their healing/damage channeling and immediately recognize the squids scant few wounds closing.

Hades: The negative energy is healing it.
Dis Pater: We can’t risk trying to pace it, can’t afford healing it. We got any positive energy spells?
Pluto: That’s a negative.

Seraphim becomes the runaway MVP of this encounter. She uses evil eye to target saving throws, and cackles to extend the duration. Follow up round sees her use misfortune to force duplicate rolls, and she cackles again to extend duration of both. As she laughs like a crazed person Skalagrim takes back to back criticals from the giant squid’s lashing attacks and he drops into negative health.

There is a mad dash to reposition everyone and triage Skala, as Dis Pater continues to get bashed at the center. The twins direct traffic trying to put as many undead into the line of fire as possible, while Chomper dismounts and sends his spinosaur in. He snipes from distance and tries to maneuver into a safe spot. Seraphim pops a bestow curse trying to make the squid freeze and take no actions for a turn. She lands the curse and with misfortune still running from her cackling the squid is forced to roll twice each turn, if it fails either roll it takes no actions.

Pluto manages to reach Skalagrim’s prone form and announces that he will be casting an inflict moderate wounds.

DM: Are you certain that is the action you want to take?
Pluto: Yep…
DM: So you are casting Inflict Moderate Wounds on your unconscious and dying ally?
Pluto: Yep…
DM: I would offer you a saving throw…but you are completely out.
Pluto: Why would he want a saving throw? I’m trying to save his life…

DM:Well…a few minutes back when you guys were prepping to come down the stairs I specifically asked who you were using the domain ability on…and you said “Chomper and Seraphim…we can selective channel out Skala and the dinosaurs” I believe the reasoning was that you didn’t want to burn two extra rounds and uses of the ability.

Everyone at the table groans…Pluto finally has the lightbulb go off in his head.

Pluto:So we never flipped Skala to benefit from negative channeling…ergo I just finished him off…***

So as the giant squid ragdolls skeletal horse after skeletal horse and Skalagrim get’s inadvertently euthanized by one of his party’s clerics the rest of the crew hammer away furiously against the squid. All attempts at tactics vanish and it becomes a mad dash to inflict as much damage as possible. They catch the mother of all breaks as the misfortuned curse makes the squid miss 3 of it’s next 4 actions. Hades gets knocked into negatives and Pluto hits 2 health. T-Bones actually gets the killing blow and prevents any further party loss.

There is a cautious and very exacting clean up phase where in everyone is extremely carefully topped off with the appropriate form of healing. The toll was quite high, they lost 11 horses, 2 ogres and Skalagrim.

Amidst the tentacles and shattered horse bones they find a strange obsidian clasp at the base of the squid’s skull. The clerics work to identify it’s purpose but once removed from the squid the strange shadowy/incorporeal nature of the creature vanishes. So they have a fairly good idea of what is can do.

Chomper: So…what do we do with Skala?
Hades: Shame to just leave him here…
Pluto: Pity to see his death be in vain…
Seraphim: I know that he would want to be remembered.
Skalagrim: You are going to freaking eat me and reanimate me aren’t you?
Dis Pater: Waste not…want not.

A skeletal Skalagrim soon stands up and joins ranks with the rest of the remaining undead and the party toasts their fallen hobogoblin companion with a feast forged from his flesh.



*I really wish they had just gone down instead of putting out some bait first…*grin*

**It is a giant squid with incorporeal and shadow qualities. I.E. it gains from negative healing and is treated as if Ghost Touch is needed to fully affect it.

***I was completely willing to allow a bit of backtracking here. For right or wrong I was willing to forgo the indignity of having your cleric finish you off due to an oversight. Skalagrim waved off the “intervention” and said he wasn’t exactly feeling the build and wouldn’t mind trying something different anyway. I am amenable to new character and working him/her in with just a few provisions. First…can’t be a third undead lord, nor can it be a Gravewalker. Second…it may take a while for the new member to get worked into events as they unfold. Third…I make no promises that he/she will immediately be welcomed into the fold. During the interim Skalagrim focuses on creating a new character.

[xroads]

Session Five Part 1: Delegation

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**It is a giant squid with incorporeal and shadow qualities. I.E. it gains from negative healing and is treated as if Ghost Touch is needed to fully affect it.

Nice. I think the addition of this and the dwarven "colonists" was a great way to step up the challenges.

Quick question. Why is Reggie still with the group? I would of though he'd of slipped it into the crowd the moment the doors had opened up a month ago to let party out. Or at least tried to find some way to elude the party during that month.

[commander panda]

Nice. I think the addition of this and the dwarven "colonists" was a great way to step up the challenges.

Quick question. Why is Reggie still with the group? I would of though he'd of slipped it into the crowd the moment the doors had opened up a month ago to let party out. Or at least tried to find some way to elude the party during that month.

extreme Stockholm syndrom

[Kaveman26]

Nice. I think the addition of this and the dwarven "colonists" was a great way to step up the challenges.

Quick question. Why is Reggie still with the group? I would of though he'd of slipped it into the crowd the moment the doors had opened up a month ago to let party out. Or at least tried to find some way to elude the party during that month.

Partially owing to fear and also owing to the fact that they tend to make it a point to emphasize security protocols. They have very organized consistent "general orders" when it comes to things like watch schedules and oversight. They also had multiple sets of eye (eye sockets). Had he attempted to slip away his disappearance would be noted. I also roleplay a bit as him fearing recapture even more. I fully intend/intended to have him take a shot at the single most Inopportune moment.

[Bob of Mage]

Partially owing to fear and also owing to the fact that they tend to make it a point to emphasize security protocols. They have very organized consistent "general orders" when it comes to things like watch schedules and oversight. They also had multiple sets of eye (eye sockets). Had he attempted to slip away his disappearance would be noted. I also roleplay a bit as him fearing recapture even more. I fully intend/intended to have him take a shot at the single most Inopportune moment.

It might be more interesting if he never does. Imagine if he really did come to care about the party. For example he gets a chance to get away from the party and betray them scotfree (say they think he's dead). Instead he goes out of his way to help them. It would be fun to see how the PCs react to someone helping them purely out of the "goodness of his heart" even knowing all they have done. Might mess with their heads to know they really hold nothing over Reggie's head any more and he for some reason likes them.

[Kid Jake]

It might be more interesting if he never does. Imagine if he really did come to care about the party. For example he gets a chance to get away from the party and betray them scotfree (say they think he's dead). Instead he goes out of his way to help them. It would be fun to see how the PCs react to someone helping them purely out of the "goodness of his heart" even knowing all they have done. Might mess with their heads to know they really hold nothing over Reggie's head any more and he for some reason likes them.

So just commit whole hog to the Stockholm Syndrome.

[Axinian]

Partially owing to fear and also owing to the fact that they tend to make it a point to emphasize security protocols. They have very organized consistent "general orders" when it comes to things like watch schedules and oversight. They also had multiple sets of eye (eye sockets). Had he attempted to slip away his disappearance would be noted. I also roleplay a bit as him fearing recapture even more. I fully intend/intended to have him take a shot at the single most Inopportune moment.

Getting some revenge for having experienced Snickle, huh?

[Kaveman26]

Getting some revenge for having experienced Snickle, huh?

I am reasonably certain that I lack the manipulative and spiteful imagination required to ever approach something that resembles adequate revenge for Snickle. That is an NPC with the ability to haunt gamers of all manner for decades.

[xroads]

I am reasonably certain that I lack the manipulative and spiteful imagination required to ever approach something that resembles adequate revenge for Snickle. That is an NPC with the ability to haunt gamers of all manner for decades.

And now I'm suddenly interested in the story of Snickle.

Anyways, thanks for continuing to post your groups adventures Kaveman. I Look forward to next one.

[turbo164]

And now I'm suddenly interested in the story of Snickle.

Anyways, thanks for continuing to post your groups adventures Kaveman. I Look forward to next one.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...e-Campagin-Log

Snickle shows up around post#86.


Re UC: The Inflict "heal" reminds me of another campaign log where one of the players got Cure Moderate Wounded to death by a teammate because he was disguising his healed-by-negative-energy race as a Human...trying to remember which one that was.

Ramirez was great XD

[Kaveman26]

Session 5 Part 2: The Museum.

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After dispatching the squid and consuming their dead comrade they explore the full breadth of the room and check for any other entrances/exits. They locate two separate hallways leading out of the squid chamber and elect to place undead packs at each point while they try to fully examine the obsidian clasp. The twins are able to discern that the clasp is cursed. It has potent magical properties but some serious drawbacks.

*When worn the user benefits from a 20% miss chance from concealment unless in bright light
*When worn the user benefits as if they had the incorporeal status as relates to 50% chance of spells or attacks being ignored.
*When worn the user is healed by negative energy, and harmed by positive energy.
*The wearer suffers a -4 penalty to their Con Score, this effect remains in place for 24 hours after the clasp is removed
*The wearer loses one ability point per day at random each day the clasp is worn. Once removed the ability point will restore at natural rate.
*To remove the clasp causes the wearer to suffer damage equaling 75% of their maximum health. This damage can’t be healed by magical means and must heal naturally.

There is some serious debate as to the merits and potential of this item. Initially when I included this unique item as part of the dungeon I envisioned a back and forth of characters switching the clasp out or being used for extreme circumstances. I wanted it to be a catalyst for tough choices and tension.

As it stands for this group…their “meat shield” or front line hitter already benefits from negative energy and is not over eager to see his stats hurt (even antipaladin is a bit M.A.D). Their next warrior is dead, and Chomper avoids direct confrontation.

Still…so many intriguing possibilities…so many ways to see them squirm to reap the benefits of concealment and 50% percent miss chance…Surely they will…

Seraphim: Slap it on a horse and make them the lightning rod at the front.
Chomper: Heck yeah…as they die we can just keep cycling back to the next one.

*sigh*

Lo it was that the era of the My Little Shadow Pony was born. They attached the clasp to a random undead horse and let it be their point man. As hostilities arise they can hit it with negative energy and let the horse utilize the miss chances and be the decoy/speed bump to getting at the PC’s.

My Little Shadow Pony takes the lead and begins their journey to the left facing hallway. Almost immediately the “dungeon” gives way to a drastically different interior. Wall mounts for what look like light-orbs are welded to the walls. The rough metallic/stony material that compromised the majority of structure gives way to smooth and textured granite. Every so often there are murals of what look like iridescent paint splattered onto crystalline canvas. Like a kid’s finger drawing using glow in the dark paint.

Micko: I think that is meant to be art, but art appreciated by one whose thoughts are far different than our own.

The hallway spills them into a circular room, the walls are covered in runes very similar to the ones that lit up right before the draconic beholder nuked the hallways, and the faint glowing just about sends the whole group into a panic.

Dispersed on the walls are various sketches of large humanoid creatures. Some are remarkably detailed and vivisected like anatomy textbooks hung open on the walls. They recognize some of the creatures as ogres, orcs, hobogoblins, even ettins. Some are completely unknown to them. At the center of the room is a circular stairwell that spirals down. They send the shadow pony first and when it comes back up undamaged they delicately begin the process of winding everyone down as well. The cumbersome nature of lumbering skeletal ogres and horses makes simple procedures like this fairly problematic and the logistics or juggling all the undead are starting to grate on the players.

At the bottom of the stairs is a showroom. In glass cases are all the various humanoids pictured above. They are extremely life like…extremely.

Chomper: I’m confident these are not mounted or replicas…these are actual creatures…I don’t know…suspended…or frozen in place.

Some of the displays are empty, but marked. One diorama shows a muscular humanoid of at least 15 feet in height clutching a trident that he seems to be brandishing at something that is no longer there. From the sketches around it they surmise that the squid once stood in the same display.

They do a rushed count looking through the display cases and to their best estimation at least four stone giants, 8 hill giants, 4 ogres, and 4 unknown humanoids larger than a stone giant are no longer in their designated showcases. At the edges of the showroom are large gateways that from a distance lead to other showrooms. Faint noises are audible from all directions.

Seraphim: I am getting creeped out here.
Dis Pater: I would sure love to know how some are getting loose and others aren’t.

Once again they post their undead packs at the positions near the other showrooms and go about examining everything they can for the displays. Chomper gets the best take on what is happening and how.

Chomper: I am starting to get a feel for some of their runes…not so much what they say, but what they represent. Whatever built this place had to come from underground or spend a lot of time in the dark. The color and brightness of their runes seems tuned to a specific purpose. Flickering lights are warning. So rapid bright/dark cycles are notices of danger or caution. Pulsing lights, ones that ebb and flow more slowly are informational. See the namecard under this ogre? The light is constant, but changes from red to green moving left to right. The namecards where things are gone are red to green moving right to left. That means a status change.

Seraphim:I’m lost…
Chomper: Ok…if the name-card is red to green moving right to left and flashing fast it means that the thing tied to namecard is about to come loose.
Dis Pater: That is remarkably complex and excessive.
Chomper: I know right.
Hades: So if the massive trident guy frozen while fighting the squid were to have a flashing name card and the color is moving right to left that means he is about to wake up?
Chomper: yes…great example.
Hades: No I mean the massive trident guy’s namecard is starting to flash brightly.

*blink*
*blink*

Seraphim: Perhaps it’s time to go back to the other hallway?
Chomper: Are you suggesting we run away without being complete cowards?
Seraphim: Oh heck yeah

They move the entire column back up the stairwell, through the hallways and return to squid central, then proceed to follow the alternate path. Their reversal of course leads them to a room very similar to the first, except this one has diagrams and sketches of dragons everywhere.

Chomper: So…back to the humanoid exhibit? Agreed?
All: Yeah…agreed.

The full column of dead and their necromantic handlers proceed back to the location they just turned tail and fled from. This time they set up an ambush at the top of the stairwell and use Chomper+My Little Shadow Pony to draw any moving creatures back to their prepped spot. Chomper stealths his way down and uses the obsidian clasped horse to scout for anything free of it’s display. The massive trident guy (aka storm giant) is gone.

Chomper is discreetly peeking out from behind the display of an orc warband when he sees a pair of hill giants move from cover on opposite sides against the horse. They are using heavily spiked clubs and their grunts of frustration are audible when their swings seem to pass right through. The goblin uses the commands given him by the twins and brings the horse back to the stairwell like a fisherman reeling in his line and the hill giant are happy to oblige, he even manages to beat the horse back to the stairwell to announce the incoming duo of giants.

Chomper: Hill Giants…two of them coming in hot.

They have a cordon of ogres with longspears able to reach over their skeletal horses surrounding the stairs. Dis Pater is waiting with sword and shield in hand at the center and the remaining casters are spread out behind the double wall of horse and ogre. All told they can leverage a staggering amounts of attacks into a concentrated area. The giants work their way up the stairs in pursuit oblivious to the ambush that awaits and are startled by the presence of a small army. To their benefit they take the development in stride, fighting back to back and swinging for the fences against the first line of defense.

Dis Pater is treated to a surprise of his own, as the lead giant sprouts a pair of spiky exoskeletal scorpion tails from it’s shoulderblades…the tips are dripping a viscus poison and they lash out with supernatural speed. Dis takes solid shots from both stingers and before he can really react finds himself with 7 strength damage.

A collective eye widening and jaw dropping commences at the table and Seraphim breaks the “what the freak was that” surprise with something even more alarming.

Seraphim: Whatever you do don’t kill them! We need them alive.
Dis Pater: A hill giant just sprouted poisonous stingers and tried to suck the strength from my frigging bones and you want me to let it go?!?

Seraphim: Not let them go, just don’t kill them.

Dis Pater eats more strength damage and they lose a handful of horses but they manage to pummel the giants unconscious without killing them.

Dis Pater: Don’t know why you wanted them alive…not like I can help you carry them or anything now.
Seraphim: Well I wanted them for a couple of reasons…first we can milk the poison from the stingers…second I want to get that one for sure back to Moo-Dor.

They drag the hill giants all the way back to the minotaur compound and locate the guy in charge of the crystalline formula.

Seraphim: So T-Bones told us that the liquefied crystal can trigger latent psionics right?
Formula Guy: Yes…but too much can kill, and sometimes even a small amount can kill. Very dangerous.
Seraphim: How much is pushing it?
Formula Guy: For one of us…3 ozs.
Seraphim: Ok…hill giant is about twice to three times the size and weight. So give me an 18oz dose.
Formula Guy: Are you sure?
Seraphim: Yep. If it kills him that is fine.

They administer a surely fatal dose for a minotaur and wait to see what happens to the hill giant without the stingers. He survives…but they see no apparent immediate change. Formula Guy informs them this is not uncommon, it can take a few hours. They dose the second giant with the stingers and he too survives. They wait six hours and discover that scorpion stinger giant has developed a new power, as has the second giant.

Seraphim: You ever doubled down?
Formula Guy: No one has been that crazy…
Seraphim: Give me 30ozs each for both.
Formula Guy: You are going to kill them you do realize this right?
Seraphim: Well I sure don’t plan on reanimating them alive…

The second round of “formula” kills the stingerless giant who now possesses Animal Affinity as a psionic power (+4 to a stat of choice for duration of effect). The scorpion stinger giant survives again.*

They expend the last formula already collected to give it a euthanasia sized cocktail and I’ll be damned if the freaking thing doesn’t take it on the chin like Rocky fighting Drago and just shrug it off. All idea of delving deeper into the dungeon stalls and the whole necromantic entourage suddenly changes gears to crystal hunting as they seek more drugs to shove down their rapidly evolving hill giant captive.

The whole party scours the surrounding caverns and passageways for crystals that have become viable. Upon returning they proceed to dose the big guy for a fourth time and this one finally does kill him. With great excitement they animate the two hill giants and discover the full array of their new toys. Both come back intelligent. This creates the beginnings of a dilemma. The hill giants are normally 10HD creatures. With the added psionics on their scorpion enhanced giant I made him 12HD. With those two alone they have 22 of 24 HD animate slots held for one cleric. They name their first Animal Affinity giant Vanilla. The scorpion giant they call Melty, based on his array of powers. Melty’s first power was corrosive aura (like a haze of acid that surrounds him and burns those in proximity) when he received a second power it was the ability to manifest acid resistance, and when they hit the home run for a third ability I gave him dissolving weapon (adds 4d6 acid damage to a weapon swing).

They do both giant as Zombies instead of skeletons. At this point they rejuggle undead slots and decide to call it a day.

New Gameplan:
*Utilize Vanilla as new obsidian clasp point man.
*Establish a mobile command site inside humanoid corridor of the showroom.
*Locate further intelligence on why the “stasis” is breaking and where it came from

They caravan their way back into the showroom upper chamber and carefully work down into the showroom floor very leery of anything. Now that I have thrown all manner of oddity at them the paranoia factor is ratcheting up. Pausing at every display to check and recheck the namecards to see if anything will suddenly break free they progress at a crawl. They inch their way further and further and try to work towards unsearched territory. A loud chanting and angry groaning grabs their attention.

From a distance they see the smoke from a fire and observe a heavily scarred orc chanting while working. The groans are coming from an ogre that has had it’s legs and arms removed. The orc is cheerfully arranging the various limbs onto impromptu spits. He spots them and with a furrowed brow he puts down the severed arm and picks up a crude and heavily damaged greataxe…the edge is still sharp even if the rest seems ready to crumble.

Seraphim…ever the ambassador approaches the lone orc.

Seraphim:Greetings there friend, I see you are having yourself a bit of a cook up.
Orc: Yep…he was throwing sharp sticks at me, so I use sharp sticks to cook em.

At this they realize the spits are actually the ogre’s javelins.

Seraphim: I also can’t help but notice he is still alive.
The orc seems to get confused by this…
Orc: Stick is metal stick…it not alive.
Seraphim: The ogre…
Orc: Yeah him still alive. Not polite to kill someone without them having last meal.
Hades: He is feeding the ogre his own leg?
Seraphim: I know it’s adorable…can we keep him? Pllllllllease?

At that point I stop speaking for the Orc and Skalagrim picks up the conversation. He introduces himself as Doctor Lovebones, orc witch doctor.

Doctor Lovebones (Orc) Barbarian1/Scarred Witch Dr5 Str 22 Dex 14 Con 18 Int 5 Wis 12 Cha 5 Feats: Ability Focus (Hex), Extra Hex, Extra Hex Hexes: Fortune, Misfortune, Ward, Cackle

As a Scarred Witch Doctor his Con score functions as Intelligence, meaning he can be a neigh unto primary caster without sacrificing physical attributes. The intention is for the Doc to take Eldritch Knight and be something of a rampaging caster. Most of his spell selections and Hexes are actually built around supporting. He is also a lunatic with outrageous strength and a greataxe. As a token of unity and bonding they offer Doctor Lovebones their flaming greataxe which he cherishes like it’s his newborn baby. The two witches hit it off like long lost twins and compare their familiars, in Sera’s case a grisly spell poppet doll, and for the Doc a wooden fetish mask.

The good doctor takes a liking to the Cowboys and does his best to describe how he came to be in the dungeon.

Doctor Lovebones: I was hunting bears…then I woke up in room.
Hades:When did this happen?
Doctor Lovebones: Before.
Hades: Before when?
Doctor Lovebones: Before now
Hades: How long ago?
Doctor Lovebones *shrugs*: I sleep five times since waking up.

All attempts at communicating just long he was asleep are strained and exceedingly useless. They try to quiz him on current events, recent knowledge and nothing seems to add up. They eventually try to puzzle out from his clothes and weapons a region or general tribe. Nothing is familiar or recognizable. With mounting annoyance they try to quiz religion…his tribal role was to worship the ancestors (also his witch patron-Ancestors) and most of the “gods” he mentions are so regional or minor nothing is picked up. Pluto lucks out on identifying a rival god as one that was wiped from the face of the planet at least five millennia ago. From that framework they work towards landmarks and major political forces etc, and are loosely convinced that Doc was frozen for the better part of 5,000 years inside the dungeon.

One quirk of my players and something I encourage maintaining when I am on the opposite side of the screen is a whiteboard with “plot points” or “aha!” type moments. Their whiteboard looks like this:

The Dungeon:
*Three known entrances that can’t be breached by means known to the world at large
*Set intervals allow for entry and exit.
*Very bizarre architecture and denizens, many are hybrids or pairings of traditional species/races
*Heavy Psionic influence and radiation
*Likely that the first few “levels” are designed to lure in those seeking wealth/power
*Whoever built the place came from a dark place
*The same builders were also by all appearances Collectors as well.
*The mechanics/magics used to “stasis” their collection is failing or being removed.
*The things inside are so far unaware of how they came to be inside.
*They have also likely been in there for a very long time.

The group shares notes with Doc and he joyfully agrees to accompany them and even offers to share his ogre bbq. He also places a Hex ward on Vanilla (+2 AC and saves until something hits him or a save is triggered. Can only be active on 1 thing at a time, but it’s infinitely reusable). He also gives them a lead on where the “four legs” are at. I.E. he tells them where to reach the animal showroom which was his destination until the ogre chucked a javelin at him.

Chomper: Let’s go find some more stuff to re-animate!



*Basically I built a chart before the campaign began with a list of psionic powers separated by level. If a creature imbibes the formula there is a 25-30% chance of it living. A second roll tells me the level of power it acquires. On the fly I decided that repeat exposure doubles mortality rate…so 2nd dose brings you to 15% 3rd dose 7% etc. The sheer amount ingested I never truly factored in.

[blacklight101]

You have some awesome players. When they get their heads together, it almost seems like the plot wants to start fraying at the edges just a little bit.

I really like the story so far.

[ImperatorV]

First, your dungeon designing prowess is amazing. Second, my little shadow pony I love how they keep taking the stuff you give them and using it in an unintended way.

Also, will there be an undead showroom?

[Kaveman26]

First, your dungeon designing prowess is amazing. Second, my little shadow pony I love how they keep taking the stuff you give them and using it in an unintended way.

Also, will there be an undead showroom?

Spoiler Alert: reveals moderate development in near-ish future

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Yes. I was in a position where I didn't want to retroactively counter plan against them. So while I edited and added stuff beyond original intent. I resisted urge to remove undead showroom because it was like putting a sadistic Charlie inside his own chocolate factory.

[Lord_Burch]

Spoiler Alert: reveals moderate development in near-ish future

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Spoiler: Spoiler

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Yes. I was in a position where I didn't want to retroactively counter plan against them. So while I edited and added stuff beyond original intent. I resisted urge to remove undead showroom because it was like putting a sadistic Charlie inside his own chocolate factory.

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It'd be interesting if they managed to figure out how to use the stasis fields, too- freeze any undead they can't control but want to keep in stasis, while periodically returning to switch out as the situation demands.

[The Grue]

How appropriate that this thread would be necro'd. In before the lock?

[Fable Wright]

How appropriate that this thread would be necro'd. In before the lock?

As the thread-starter is providing content again, I think that the thread is safe. I'm not positive, but I remember reading something along those lines in the forum rules.

[arcane_asp]

Love this thread, inspiring stuff!

Kaveman, your campaign journals are high class as always - have you thought about compiling them into a single file? Probably enough great readable stuff there for a novel length read!

[Asmayus]

Hey, I just wanted to check in since this thread has, gloriously, been necro'd - I'm reading the updates as you post them. :)

[Kaveman26]

Love this thread, inspiring stuff!

Kaveman, your campaign journals are high class as always - have you thought about compiling them into a single file? Probably enough great readable stuff there for a novel length read!

I am actually going to try and make graphic novels of a kind. I pulled the first campaign I wrote up (adversarial process) and it was 350+ pages in word. The big one may be twice that size. Trying to determine a format and context to make it work. Thinking part novella/part graphic novel with character sheets and duplicates of maps and scenarios as part of the whole book. Want to visually illustrate the characters and several scenes while still providing the gaming portion to go along with the story.

[zabbarot]

I am actually going to try and make graphic novels of a kind. I pulled the first campaign I wrote up (adversarial process) and it was 350+ pages in word. The big one may be twice that size. Trying to determine a format and context to make it work. Thinking part novella/part graphic novel with character sheets and duplicates of maps and scenarios as part of the whole book. Want to visually illustrate the characters and several scenes while still providing the gaming portion to go along with the story.

Mixed graphic novel/novella are a hard balance to strike I think. Too much graphic novel and the novella bits are like a brick wall of text. Too much novella and the graphic novel bits seem superfluous.

You could probably manage it fully as a graphic novel if it sort of 'zoomed out' to the table now and then.